Page 14 of It takes a Psychic

The dust bunny chortled and made no move to leave.

“Suit yourself,” Oliver said.

He stomped on the accelerator. The sled moved forward along the glowing tunnel, picking up speed. The dust bunny bounced up and down, chortling enthusiastically.

“Dust bunnies like to go fast,” Leona explained. “They’re little adrenaline junkies.”

“Yeah?” Oliver studied the location indicator on the dashboard and steered around a corner. “How do you know that?”

“My sister is pals with one. She calls him Newton. He gets very excited in a car or a sled.”

Oliver glanced at the crystal object in her hand. “What is that?”

She cleared her throat and dropped the artifact into her evening bag. It barely fit. “It’s an interesting little sculpture. Old World. Circa the nineteenth century, I think, although this isn’t my area of expertise.”

“Yeah, but what is it?”

“I believe the technical name for this type of sculpture ispersonal intimacy aid.”

“Thought so. A hot dildo.”

Chapter Four

Leona started to shiver. Shecould not blame a drop in the ambient temperature, because that never changed in the Underworld. It took her a moment to realize she was coming off an adrenaline jag.Breathe.

She looked down at the bloodstains on her dress and then yanked her attention away from the disturbing sight. She longed for a hot shower and a change of clothes.Like that’s going to change what happened. Breathe.

She forced herself to focus.

“I wonder who she was and why she was murdered,” she said.

Oliver slowed for another sharp corner. “The FBPI will find her body. When they do, they’ll identify her and launch an investigation.”

“She was a member of one of those weird Vincent Lee Vance return cults.”

Oliver glanced at her. “Are you sure?”

“She was wearing a necklace with a metal disc inscribed with ‘Vincent Lee Vance Will Return.’There was a small crystal set in the pendant. Itlooked like an exact replica of the pendants Vance distributed to his followers.”

“They say no one ever went broke running a cult. There have always been idiots who buy into the old conspiracy theory about Vance not dying in the tunnels. They’re convinced he was frozen with some sort of mysterious Alien cryogenic technology and that one day he’ll return to lead another revolution.”

“I know. It’s hard to kill off a conspiracy theory.” Leona hesitated. “The crystal in that cult pendant was hot, Oliver.”

He frowned. “Tuned?”

“And locked. I didn’t get a chance to examine it, but I can tell you it was not some cheap knockoff of the old Vance pendants. It was sophisticated work. Whoever did it is serious about firing up another Vance return cult.”

“Think the tuning was the kind of identification or signature vibe that people use to indicate they belong to certain clubs or organizations?”

She thought about that for a moment. “I don’t know. Maybe. I’m good with psi-locks but I’m not a crystal tuner. That’s my sister’s area of expertise.”

“Don’t worry, the FBPI will be able to crack the code. Once they do, they’ll have a lead on whoever gave the pendant to the dead woman. With luck, that will provide a clue to the identity of the killer.”

“Maybe, assuming she was murdered because of her connection to a cult.”

“Even if there wasn’t one, her associates will know something about her that will provide a lead. Someone always knows something.”

Cheered by that thought, she tried to push the searing memory of the dead woman aside. Just another scene to add to her nightmares. Oliver was right. There was nothing more she could do. The murder investigation was in the hands of the Bureau.

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